"Just Now": Cultural Quirks and Kingdom Clarity
- Dr. Shelley
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
One of the many things I truly love about South Africa is the language—not just the official ones, but the everyday, uniquely South African ways of speaking. The colloquialisms are colorful, rich, and at times, completely perplexing to an outsider like me.
I remember the first time someone greeted me with a cheerful, “How’s it?” My very American brain froze. “How’s what?” I asked, puzzled. The laughter that followed clued me in that I’d missed something obvious—“How’s it?” simply means “How are you?” It’s casual, warm, and very South African.
But the one phrase that has stuck with me—and continues to both amuse and frustrate—is “just now.”
Where I come from, if someone says they're doing something just now, it means it's happening right now. In South Africa, however, just now means… later. Maybe in a few minutes. Maybe in a few hours. Or, as I discovered the hard way, maybe in a few days, weeks… or months. It’s wonderfully flexible—and maddeningly vague.
You can imagine my confusion when I asked someone to follow up on something, and they assured me it would be handled just now. Hours passed. Nothing happened. My American urgency clashed hard with this South African elasticity of time. Eventually, I learned if you want something done right now, you say, now-now. That means immediate action is expected. Just now? Not so much.
As amusing as this linguistic dance can be, it stirred something deeper in me. I began to wonder: Have we let a “just now” mentality seep into our spiritual lives?
When Obedience Becomes Optional Timing
God often speaks with urgency. When He called the disciples, they left their nets immediately (Matthew 4:20). When He told Noah to build the ark, it wasn’t a suggestion for just now—it was a command for action.
But how often do we hear His voice and respond with spiritual procrastination?
We say we’ll forgive—just now.We’ll serve—just now.We’ll obey—just now.
There’s a subtle danger in this. Delayed obedience is disobedience in disguise.
Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Not later. Not when it’s convenient. Love looks like prompt obedience.
The Urgency of Now-Now Faith
While I believe the Father is gracious and patient, I also believe He calls us to a now-now kind of obedience—swift, wholehearted, and without hesitation.
Because faith isn’t just what we believe; it’s how we respond.
There’s a time for waiting on God. But there’s also a time when God is waiting on us—to move, to speak, to act. And in those moments, a just now response can rob us of what He wants to do right now.
So today, consider what God has placed on your heart. What has He been asking you to do that you've been postponing? What obedience have you filed under “just now”?
It may be time to bring it into the now-now.
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